7/2/2006 2006 CHILE Open

Vladimir Samsonov won his fourteenth career ITTF Pro Tour Men’s Singles title when he prevailed at the Liebherr Chile Open on Sunday 2nd July 2006 but of all the many titles that have come the way of the man from Belarus, the crown gained in Santiago was one of the hardest fought successes.

He saved two match points in the decisive seventh game before emerging successful 9-11, 11-8, 5-11, 11-5, 11-9, 7-11, 12-10.

 7/2/2006 2006 CHILE Open

Korea’s Park Mi Young used her defensive skills to good effect to win the Women’s Doubles title at the Liebherr Chile Open on Sunday 2nd July 2006 and in so doing she won her first ever title on the ITTF Pro Tour.

A member of her national team at the Liebherr World Team Championships in 2006, she beat Japan’s Reiko Hiura in the final in five games.

She won 11-5, 11-5, 7-11, 11-4, 12-10.

 7/2/2006 2006 CHILE Open

In an all Japanese Women’s Doubles final, Hiroko Fujii and Saki Kanazawa beat Ai Fujinuma and Sayaka Hirano to clinch their first ever ITTF Pro Tour title.

It was the first time that either player had reached the final of a Women’s Singles or Women’s Doubles event on the ITTF Pro Tour; in Santiago they had an opportunity and they seized the chance that was presented.

 7/2/2006 2006 CHILE Open

Victory for Vladimir Samsonov over Slovakia’s Peter Sereda at the semi-final stage of the Men’s Singles event at the Liebherr Chile Open on Sunday 2nd July 2006 was to a small extent a landmark in the career of the man from Belarus.

Including Grand Finals, it marks the twentieth time that he has reached the final of a Men’s Singles event on the ITTF Pro Tour.

By contrast the victory by Austria’s Robert Gardos over Portugal’s João Monteiro marks his first appearance in a Men’s Singles final on the ITTF Pro Tour!

 7/2/2006 2006 CHILE Open

Twenty-two year old Reiko Hiura, a player who previously has never reached the quarter-finals of a Women’s Singles event on the ITTF Pro Tour and was not selected for the Japanese team to compete in the Liebherr World Team Championships earlier this year, upset the odds at the Liebherr Chile Open on Sunday 2nd July 2006.

At the semi-final stage of the Women’s Singles event, she beat the number one seed, the player currently ranked no.8 in the world, Tamara Boros of Croatia.

 7/2/2006 2006 CHILE Open

Austria’s Chen Weixing and Robert Gardos won the Men’s Doubles title at the Liebherr Chile Open in Santiago on Sunday 2nd July 2006; it was for both players their first title of any description on the ITTF Pro Tour.

A change to the schedule, the Men’s Doubles’ final started proceedings on the last day; the top seeds in the event, Chen Weixing and Robert Gardos were wide awake, bright eyed and won the contest in straight games; victory was secured 11-8, 11-8, 11-5, 14-12

 7/2/2006 2006 CHILE Open

Korea’s Lee Eun Hee continued her quite incredible run of success in Under 21 Women’s Singles events on the ITTF Pro Tour, when on Saturday 1st July 2006, she reached the final at the Liebherr Chile Open.

It was her fifth consecutive tournament on the ITTF Pro Tour and it was the fifth consecutive time that she had reached the Under 21 Women’s Singles final!